Ahead of International Women’s Day, dozens of organizations gathered in Saint Jerome on Thursday for a day of reflection and mobilization focused on violence against women.
“With you, we can turn a tragedy into a collective movement. Because Joanie is not just a statistic,” said Yves Imbeault, an FTQ union representative, speaking on stage.
In a room packed at the venue Tapis Rouge, the event also marked the launch of a new committee led by the FTQ. One of the people behind the initiative is Yves Imbeault, who has been advocating for stronger action since his daughter Joanie was killed by her partner in June 2025.
“My daughter had already experienced domestic violence in a previous relationship. When her new partner became violent, she asked to leave. She didn’t want to go through that again. The solution he chose was to kill her — and then take his own life,” said Imbeault.
“It often feels like everyone is working in silos. The goal is to get everyone pulling in the same direction, with the same priorities, at the same time. That’s how real change will happen in Quebec.”
Caroline Limoges said, “After the first 90 days or three months or four months, sometimes the danger is still there so women need to be housed in a place where we have security.”
This comes after the death of Danielle Lascelles in St-Jerome last week, allegedly killed by her partner — the seventh femicide in just two months.
“That makes me feel very sad because those women probably asked for help and maybe didn’t know that help was there for them. Because domestic violence is a cycle and, sometimes, women are afraid to go get help because sometimes they’re ashamed of what’s happening to them,” said Limoges.
Imbeault adds, “Over the past four years, calls to 9‑1‑1 for domestic violence have tripled. We also know that back in 2020, when prevention efforts really began, 75 per cent of women seeking help at shelters were able to get it. By 2025, that number dropped to just 26 per cent — because of a lack of funding, a lack of space, and a lack of staff. It’s completely unacceptable for this to continue.”
Community members, organizations working on issues related to violence against women — including CALAQs, shelters, the City of Saint Jerome, and political representatives — also signed a manifesto pledging to work more closely together to support victims across the region.
“Thank you for taking action, and thank you for being part of this essential fight — for Joanie, for our daughters, for all women,” added Imbeault.
